The startling story of the West's intellectual struggle with the concept of zero is told with admirable elegance and clarity

When it comes to explaining the trickiest ideas John Barrow goes the extra mile which helps you to understand when going on

An entertaining and informative account of how the zero came into being in ancient civilisations such as the Babylonian and Egyptian...I am happy to report that nothing is full of interesting reading

Heartwarming

Impressively engaging...it will be the rare music lover that does not come away without having learned many interesting things

Ball....proves as comfortable discussing the science of music as its cultural and artistic dimensions... This thought-provoking book answers many questions, and leaves a few hanging tantalisingly behind as well

Remarkable capacity to use words to open our ears

This book surveys current thinking and tells you why music rocks

Bestriding with equal ease the very different disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, history and neurology, the author answers com amore the questions posed in the subtitle of this important book. A remarkable achievement.

The author breaks new (to me) ground

As prolific as he is profound, Philip Ball weaves science into culture with a dexterity and virtuosity that avoid any sense of overstretch... Ball can truly make scholarship sing.

The year's most unusual travel book

[An] eye-opening and hugely enjoyable book

Written in a delectable prose that scatters flashes of poetry over a sardonic undertow of social comment, Edgelands is a lyrical triumph. On Britain’s grotty margins, the duo trace “desire paths” to find beauty and mystery in the rough darkness on the edge of town